convince - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

con·vince

Audio Help [kuh

n-vins] Pronunciation Key

–verb (used with object), -vinced, -vinc·ing.

1.	to move by argument or evidence to belief, agreement, consent, or a course of action: to convince a jury of his guilt; A test drive will convince you that this car handles well.

2.	to persuade; cajole: We finally convinced them to have dinner with us.

3.	Obsolete. to prove or find guilty.

4.	Obsolete. to overcome; vanquish.

[Origin: 1520–30; < L convincere to prove (something) false or true, (somebody) right or wrong, equiv. to con- con- + vincere to overcome; see victor

]

—Related forms

con·vinc·ed·ly, adverb

con·vinc·ed·ness, noun

con·vinc·er, noun

con·vin·ci·ble, adjective

con·vinc·i·bil·i·ty, noun

—Synonyms 1. satisfy.

—Usage note Convince, an often stated rule says, may be followed only by that or of, never by to: We convinced him that he should enter (not convinced him to enter) the contest. He was convinced of the wisdom of entering. In examples to support the rule, convince is often contrasted with persuade, which may take to, of, or that followed by the appropriate construction: We persuaded him to seek counseling (or of his need for counseling or that he should seek counseling). The history of usage does not support the rule. Convince (someone) to has been in use since the 16th century and, despite objections by some, occurs freely today in all varieties of speech and writing and is fully standard: Members of the cabinet are trying to convince the prime minister not to resign.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
convince

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

con·vince Audio Help (kən-vĭns') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. con·vinced, con·vinc·ing, con·vinc·es

To bring by the use of argument or evidence to firm belief or a course of action. See Synonyms at persuade.
Obsolete To prove to be wrong or guilty.
Obsolete To conquer; overpower.

[Latin convincere, to prove wrong : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + vincere, to conquer; see weik-³ in Indo-European roots.]

con·vince'ment n., con·vinc'er n., con·vinc'i·ble adj.

Usage Note: According to a traditional rule, one persuades someone to act but convinces someone of the truth of a statement or proposition: By convincing me that no good could come of staying, he persuaded me to leave. If the distinction is accepted, then convince should not be used with an infinitive: He persuaded (not convinced) me to go. In a 1981 survey, 61 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the use of convince with an infinitive. But the tide of sentiment against the construction appears to be turning. In a 1996 survey 74 percent accepted it in the sentence I tried to convince him to chip in a few dollars, but he refused. Even in passive constructions, a majority of the Panel accepted convince with an infinitive. Fifty-two percent accepted the sentence After listening to the teacher's report, the committee was convinced to go ahead with the new reading program. Persuade, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable when used with an infinitive or a that clause in both active and passive constructions. An overwheming majority of Panelists in the 1996 survey accepted the following sentences: After a long discussion with her lawyer, she was persuaded to drop the lawsuit. The President persuaded his advisors that military action was necessary. Thus, it seems likely that advocates of the traditional rule governing persuade and convince will find fewer and fewer allies in their camp.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
convince

1530, "to overcome in argument," from L. convincere "to overcome decisively," from com- intensive prefix + vincere "to conquer" (see victor). Meaning "to firmly persuade" is from 1606.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

convince
verb
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something; "He had finally convinced several customers of the advantages of his product" [syn: convert]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
convince [kənˈvins] verb

to persuade (a person) that something is true
Example: Her smile convinced me that she was happy; She is convinced of his innocence.

Arabic:	يُقْـنِـع
Chinese (Simplified):	使确信
Chinese (Traditional):	使確信
Czech:	přesvědčit
Danish:	overbevise
Dutch:	overtuigen
Estonian:	veenma
Finnish:	vakuuttaa
French:	convaincre
German:	überzeugen
Greek:	πείθω
Hungarian:	meggyőz
Icelandic:	sannfæra
Indonesian:	meyakinkan
Italian:	convincere

Japanese:	確信させる
Korean:	확신시키다
Latvian:	pārliecināt
Lithuanian:	įtikinti
Norwegian:	overbevise
Polish:	przekonać
Portuguese (Brazil):	convencer
Portuguese (Portugal):	convencer
Romanian:	a convinge
Russian:	убеждать
Slovak:	presvedčiť
Slovenian:	prepričati
Spanish:	convencer (de)
Swedish:	övertyga
Turkish:	ikna etmek, inandırmak

See also: convincing

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Convince

Con*vic"tion\, n. [L. convictio proof: cf. F. conviction conviction (in sense 3 & 4). See Convict, Convince.]

1. The act of convicting; the act of proving, finding, or adjudging, guilty of an offense.

The greater certainty of conviction and the greater certainty of punishment. --Hallam.

2. (Law) A judgment of condemnation entered by a court having jurisdiction; the act or process of finding guilty, or the state of being found guilty of any crime by a legal tribunal.

Conviction may accrue two ways. --Blackstone.

3. The act of convincing of error, or of compelling the admission of a truth; confutation.

For all his tedious talk is but vain boast, Or subtle shifts conviction to evade. --Milton.

4. The state of being convinced or convicted; strong persuasion or belief; especially, the state of being convicted of sin, or by one's conscience.

To call good evil, and evil good, against the conviction of their own consciences. --Swift.

And did you presently fall under the power of this conviction? --Bunyan.

Syn: Conviction; persuasion.

Usage: Conviction respects soley matters of belief or faith; persuasion respects matters of belief or practice. Conviction respects our most important duties; persuasion is frequently applied to matters of indifference. --Crabb. -- Conviction is the result of the [operation of the] understanding; persuasion, of the will. Conviction is a necessity of the mind, persuasion an acquiescence of the inclination. --C. J. Smith. -- Persuasion often induces men to act in opposition to their conviction of duty.

American Heritage Abbreviations Dictionary 3rd Edition - Cite This Source - Share This

CONVINCE
Consortium of North American Veterinary Interactive New Concept Education

Acronym Finder - Cite This Source - Share This

CONVINCE

CONVINCE: in Acronym Finder

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